N6550Z

On October 17, 1995, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18, N6550Z, crashed during a forced landing in a remote area, about 1 mile east of Red Devil, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed Red Devil about 1600.

On October 18, 1995, in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in- charge (IIC), the pilot reported that he was flying in support of checking his trap lines in the area. The airplane contained 36 gallons of fuel at the time of departure. While in cruise flight about 800 feet above the ground, the engine suddenly quit and the pilot selected a gravel bar on the Kuskokwim river for an emergency landing area. The pilot overshot the intended landing spot and collided with the water. The airplane was recovered from the river and disassembled for repair by the pilot. He did not report finding a cause for the loss of power.